Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to advertisement insertion systems and methods, and more particularly to advertisement insertion systems and methods which facilitate the insertion of replacement advertisements in recorded program content after a predetermined expiration date and time for playout has elapsed.
Description of the Related Art
Program distributors deliver audio and/or video program content to its subscribers. The program content includes, for example, television programs, multimedia services, and the like, and may further include advertisement content. The program distributors typically deliver the audio/video content to its subscribers in an industry-standard format, for example, the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) MPEG-2 transport stream format.
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) develops technology standards related to cable telecommunications engineering. The SCTE 35standard defines the splicing of an MPEG-2 transport stream for the purpose of digital program insertion. The SCTE 35 standard also defines the messages and structure that allow the program distributor to splice, or insert, advertisements and other digital program content into the audio/video content.
Subscribers often have a receiving device, such as a set-top box, which may include a digital video recorder (DVR) or other similar content recording functionality. It is not uncommon for users to delay playout (i.e. later playback) of that content until weeks or even months have passed. Advertisements, which are placed during the live broadcast of the programming, may be somewhat time-sensitive in that their advertising value diminishes with such lapses of time before viewing; however, the advertisements which were placed in the programming during live broadcast remain in that program stream even during playout at a much later date and time.
There is thus a need for improved advertisement insertion systems and methods in this, as well as a variety of other, applications.